. . . and you’ll never live without.

These words seemed so simple when I first thought of them but they meant so much to me that I live by them today. Once we recognize happiness, what it means to us, we find a place for it inside our hearts. And from there, no matter what the circumstance, we can recall it and never have to live without it. No one can take it from you, and no one can change what it means to you. The stresses of life may throw you off balance or cause a ripple or two on your inner pool of calm, but once you have found true happiness, it cannot be changed; it will always be just how you found it, and all you have to do is remember it.

It is this knowledge of energy (and yes, happiness is energy) that allows you, and me, to reach inside and find strength and vision, to overcome little problems and issues, to rewrite the daily drama that overwhelms us. Once you find this energy within, you will never live without the means to take on new challenges or to meet change head on, to believe in you and all that you do.

I found my happiness, my energy, in solitude, when I was in the company of myself, on the top of a mountain or walking in a forest, in the saddle of a horse or the seat of my motorcycle. I sought tranquility in simply being, and I found it. Now I reflect on it as I write. I share my energy in my “word hugs” and my poetry. I will never live without happiness because it lives within me.

You may feel that happiness is a myth, or quite possibly you have a distorted understanding of just what happiness is. Well, stop trying to define it. Happiness is what you make it. You can’t buy it, you can’t sell it, and you can’t make it for anyone else—it is yours to believe in and yours to share. If you ever want to see what it looks like, blow some bubbles for a child, scratch a dog behind his ear, or show a kitten a ball of string—that is unconditional happiness, that is energy, that is what you can put into everything you do. Be happy simply being.

Curl up with a good book and live in the story, grab a brush and paint a picture, calm your mind and give your soul a chance to reflect your inner peace—you will soon see a brightness to your outer smile.

Your happiness is in your heart, it’s always lived in there;

You’ll find it spreads to all without, in every smile  that you share.

🙂

BawB